Embossed metallic plate



Aug. 21, 1928.

A: E. SMALL EMBOSSED METALLIC PLATE 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed Dec. 2, 1926 Iol "I 9 I l I I Aug. 21, 1928. 1,681,825

- I A. E\ SMALL EMBOSSED METALLIC PLATE Filed Dec. 2, 1926 2Sheets-Sheet 2 I? U811 or 414k ur Patented Aug. 21, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR E. SMALL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 UNION METAL PRODUCTS.COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

EMBOSSED METALLIC PLATE.

Application filed December 2, 1926. Serial No. 152,252.

My invention relates to means of reinforcing a metallic plate by formingintegral corrugations, embossments or ribs therein and resides in theparticular and peculiar configuration and relation of the corrugationsto obtain certain desired results.

An object of the invention is to form and arrange a plurality ofcorrugations in a metallic plate so as to obtain a desired proportionbetween strength, rigidity and resiliency.

Another object of the invention is to obtain this result with the leastamount of raw material and to provide a finished article of the leastpossible weight consistent with strength requirements.

Another object of the invention is to obtain the desired strength,rigidity and resiliency by forming a metallic plate with integralembossments, each embossment comprising a plurality of constant widthcentral portions which converge and merge together adjacent the ends ofthe embossments and also forming corrugations in the same metallic platebetween the adjacent ends of the embossments.

Another object is to provide such a corrugated metallic plate which canbe formed by pressing it (when heated, if necessary) between dies whichmove toward each other in one direction only.

The construction may be used wherever a strong, resilient panel isdesired, but is especially adaptable for railway car structures, such asend walls, side or end doors, hopper doors, floors, roofs, etc., andwhile I have shown and claimed herein the construction used as an endwall of arailway car.

It is well known that the end walls of railway cars are more likely tobe broken or otherwise injured than the side walls. This is due to theinertia thrusts and pressures caused by the shifting of the cargoes whenthe train starts or stops. These thrusts may be local, tending todistort the end in some particular spot, as, for example, when a pieceof piping or lumber shifts lengthwise imparting a blow against the endwall of the car; or there may be a general tendency to break out the,end wall as a whole or tear it away from the framing. For the purpose,therefore, of greater strength and durability, car ends have beenconstructed of metal plates corrugated or formed with ribs to impart thedesired Strength, rigidity and. resiliency. My conbe made stronger wheregreater strength is required. A wooden inside lining is required n arailway house car for blocking the lad mg to and for compliance with therequirements of the Bureau of Explosives of the American RailwayAssociation. Such awooden lining can be easily applied to myconstruction.

WVhile I have described my configuration and arrangement of corrugationsas used to reinforce the plates of an end wall of a railway car,similarly reinforced plates may be used as a side door for a railway carby providing a frame around itsouter edges, or such a reinforced platemay be used as an end door of an automobile railway car by providing thenecessary hinges, latches and the usual attachments; also it may be usedto reinforce a metallic plate when used as a drop door of a hopper carby providing the hinges and other usual raising and locking mechanisms.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows a railway box car with my de vice applied thereon.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows a railway gondola car with my device applied thereon.

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a detail of a plate reinforced by my arrangement ofembossments.

Fig. 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a section on line 7-7 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a section on line 8-8 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 9 is a section on line 99 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 10 shows a modified form wherein the embossments and corrugationsare of the same depth and are of constant depth. Fig. 10 is similar toFig. 6.

The end wall structure comprises a panel composed. of one or moremetallic plates with Furthermore, such my particular configuration andarrangement of embossments formed therein. In Figs. 1 and 2 the embossedplates 1, 2 and 3 extend from top to bottom of the end wall and may beformed with integral flanges 4 along the vertical edges of the outer.plates which overlap and are secured to the side wall 5 of the car byany suitable means. The top edges of the plates are secured beneath thefascia board 7 and the meeting edges of the plate overlap and aresecured tog-ether by rows of rivets 8 and the lower edges of the platesare secured to the end sill 9.

Figs. 3 and 4 show a form of my invention applied to a gondola type ofrailway car wherein only one end panel whichextends from side to side ofthe car and may be provided along the ill vertical edges with flangeswhich overlap and are secured to the side walls by any suitable means.The top edge of the plate is secured to a top chord, while the loweredge is secured to the end sill.

The plate is provided with a plurality of parallel embossments, whichembossments each comprise a plurality of parallel central portions 11which are of constant width and preferably of constant depth which mergetogether adjacent the opposite ends 12 of the embossments. The ends ofthe embossments may be shallower than the central portions.

The metallic plate is also provided with minor corrugations 13positioned between the ends of the embossments with their sidespreferably parallel to the adjacent embossments. When the centralportions of the em possments are relatively deep these minorcorrugations preferably correspond in depth to the adjacent ends of theembossments or if the embossments are of constant depth then the minorcorrugations are preferably also constant in depth and of the same depthas the embossments or these minor corrugations may decrease in depthtoward'the middle of the plate, as illustrated. t

The outer ends 14 of the embossments and minor corrugations terminateinto the plate adjacent its edge in line with each other and preferablyadjacent the frame member (sill, plate, stile or post) of the car towhich the plate is attached. ,The inner end 15 of the minor corrugationsterminate into the plate between the embossments. The central portionsof each embossment and of adjacent embossments are spaced apartdistances equal to their widths so as to form a sinuous configuration;furthermore, the ends of the embossments and the minor corrugations arespaced apart distances equal to their widths to form a sinuousconfiguration.

The drawings illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though itis to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exactdetails of construction shown and described, as it is obvious thatvarious modiplate is used to form the fications thereof within the scopeof the I claims will occur to I claim:

1. In a railway car structure, a metallic plate having a plurality ofvarying width embossments formed therein, each embossment comprising aplurality of constant width central portions which merge togetheradjacent the ends of the embossment, said metallic plate also formedwith varying width corrugations positioned between the ends of theembossments and terminating into the plate in line with the embossments.

2. In a railway car structure, a metallic plate having a plurality ofconstant depth, varying width embossments formed therein, eachembossment comprising a plurality of constant width and constant depthcentral portions which merge together adjacent the ends of theembossment, said metallic plate also formed with varying widthcorrugations positioned between the ends of the embossments andterminating into the plate in line with the embossments.

3. In a railway car structure, a metallic plate having a plurality ofvarying width embossments formed therein, each embossment comprising aplurality of constant width central portions which merge togetheradjacent the ends of the embossment, said metallic platealso formed withvarying width corrugations liaving their depth corresponding to thedepth of the ends of the embossments, said corrugations positionedbetween the ends of the embossments and terminating into the plate inline with the embossments.

4. In a railway car structure, a metallic plate having a plurality ofvarying width embossments formed therein, each embossment comprising aplurality of constant width central portions which merge togetheradjacent the ends of the embossment, said metallic plate also formedwith varying width corrugations positioned between the ends of theembossments and terminating into the plate in line with the embossments,said central portions being spaced apart distances equal to their width.

5. In a railway car structure, a metallic plate having a plurality ofvarying width embossments formed therein, each embossment comprising aplurality of constant width central portions which merge togetheradjacent the ends of the embossment, said metallic plate also formedwith varying width corrugations positioned between the ends of theembossments and terminating into the plate in line with the embossments,said central portions being spaced apart distances equal to their width,and said corrugations and the ends of the embossments being spaced apartdistances equal to their width.

6. In a railway car structure, a metallic plate having a plurality ofconstant depth, varying width embossments. formed therein,

persons skilled in the art.

each embossment comprising a plurality of constant width and constantdepth central portions which'merge together adjacent the ends of theembossment, said metallic plate also formed with varying widthcorrugations having their depth corresponding to the depth of the endsof the embossments and terminating into the plate in line with theembossments, said central portions being spaced apart distances equal totheir width, and said corrugations and the ends of the embossments beingspaced apart distances equal to their width.

7. In a railway car structure, a metallic plate having a plurality ofparallel embossments formed therein, each embossment comprising aplurality of central portions which are merged together at the ends ofthe embossment. said metallic plate also formed with corrugationspositioned between the ends of the embossments and terminating into theplate in line with the embossments.

8. In a' railway car structure, a metallic plate having a plurality ofrelatively long embossments formed therein which decrease in widthtoward their opposite ends, and a plurality of aligned pairs ofcorrugations positioned between the adjacent ends of said embossments,the middle portion of said embossments being divided by an oppositelyprojecting embossment formed therein.

9. In a railway car structure, a metallic plate having a plurality ofrelatively long embossments formed therein which decrease in widthtoward their opposite ends and terminate into the plate, and a pluralityof aligned pairs of corrugations positioned between the adjacent ends ofsaid embossments which terminate into the plate, the middle portion ofsaid embossments being divided by an oppositely projecting embossmentformed therein.

10. In a railway car structure, a metallic plate having a plurality ofembossments formed therein which merge together ad'acent their oppositeends to form a plurality of. fewer embossments, and aplurality ofaligned pairs of corrugations positioned between the adjacent ends ofsaid embossments.

11. In a railway car structure, a metallic plate having a plurality ofembossments formed therein which merge together adjacent their oppositeends to form a plurality of fewer embossments, and a plurality ofaligned pairs of corrugations positioned between the adjacent ends ofsaid embossments, which increase in width toward their outer ends.

ARTHUR E. SMALL.

